This invention relates generally to medical instruments, and more particularly to an adjustable angle medical forceps for use during a laparoscopy.
Several types of medical forceps have heretofore been utilized in various types of surgical procedures. For example, it has been found to be advantageous to use medical forceps wherein the jaw element was either movable with respect to the forcep's housing, or fixedly angled with respect to the forcep's housing. Such conventional instruments are disclosed, for example, in Maslanka U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,751, Jaeger U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,669, and Held U.S. Pat. No. 2,541,246.
However, in laparoscopic procedures, all of these conventional instruments are in varying degrees disadvantageous. In a laparoscopy, the forceps are inserted through a slender, cylindrical cannula, or sleeve, and into the patient's abdominal cavity. Hence, while the instrument of Maslanka '751, an improved flexible biopsy forceps, is useful for obtaining biopsies during gastroscopy and bronchoscopy, it is ill-suited for use during a laparoscopy because of its inherent instability. And, while the instrument of Held '246, a forceps having a rigid curved frame, is useful for endocholedochal sphincterotomy, it is ill-suited for use during a laparoscopy since this instrument cannot be inserted through a cannula.
On the other hand, the instrument of Jaeger '669 can be used during a laparoscopy since the cross-section of the jaw head oriented in a straight forward position can be made smaller than the crosssection of the main frame of the forceps and is therefore insertable through a cannula. Furthermore, since this surgical instrument has an adjustable jaw head which may be rotated relative to the main frame of the instrument during surgery, a limited degree of additional maneuverability and hence surgical dexterity is possible.
As can be seen, then, the flexible forceps and the fixedly angled forceps hereinabove described are not conducive for use during a laparoscopy. And, while a medical forceps with an adjustable angle jaw head is useful during a laparoscopy, this instrument nonetheless has several drawbacks. The relatively short distance from the jaws to the forcep's frame, when the jaws are oriented at a right angle with respect to the frame, allows for only minimal maneuverability during dissecting, suturing, and the like. Furthermore, the levers which actuate this rotatable jaw head of Jaeger '669 do not provide a sufficiently blunt instrument which is required for dissecting and isolating bodily organs, tissue, arteries, nerves, and the like.